Floating pump.



atented Feb. 20, 1900.

W. S. BRYANT.

FLOATING PUMP.

(Application filed May 24, 1898.)

2 Sheets-Sheet I.

(No Model.)

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No. 643,863. v Patented Feb.. 20, I900.

w. s. BRYANT.

FLOATING PUMP.

{Application filed May 24, 1898.)

- 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 (No Modl.)

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM S. BRYANT, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

FLOATING PUM P.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 643,863, dated February 20, 1900.

Application filed May 24:, 1898. $erial No. 681,591. (No model-3 T0 ctZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that LWILLIAM S. BRYANT, a citizen of the United States, residing in Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Floating Pumps, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like letters on the drawings representing like parts.

This invention relates to an apparatus for utilizing wave motion for power purposes; and it consists of an apparatus of a construction as will be described, and pointed out in the claims at the end of this specification.

Figure 1 is a vertical section, with parts broken away, of a floating pump embodying this invention; Fig. 2 a like section of a modification to be referred to; and Fig. 3 a view like Fig. 1, representing the float in the trough of the sea.

Referring to the drawings, A represents a tube or pipe constituting the movable cylinder of my improved floating pump, which is provided with a stationary water-piston, (indicated by the broken line a,) the said water being admitted up into the cylinder A, as herein shown, through the open lower end. The cylinder A is provided with a head a and the walls of the cylinder may be extended beyond the head a and closed by a cap or head a forming an air-reservoir or accumulating-chamber a The cylinder A is moved vertically by motion of the waves, and this may be accomplished by securing the said cylinder to a suitable float or buoy A, which may be of any suitable form. The cylinder A when moved upward is designed to be filled with air above the water-piston therein,which may be effected by providing the said cylinder with an air-inlet port a in its head M, with which communicates an air-inlet pipe at, shown as extended up through the air-reservoir a and communicating with the atmosphere. The air-inlet port a has cooperating with it a valve, represented as a flap-valve ad, which is designed to open to admit air into the cylinder on its up movement and to be closed by the pressure of air in said cylinder on its down movement. The cylinder A is further provided with an air-outlet port a through which the air in the cylinder A is forced out therefrom on the down movement of the said cylinder, and this port has cooperating with it a valve, which is represented as a flap-valve 00 and which is opened by the air forced out of the cylinder on the down movement and is closed on the up movement thereof, thereby permitting the passage of the compressed air out of the cylinder, but preventing the return of said compressed air. The air forced out of the cylinder may be stored under pressure in the reservoir or accum ulatin-g-chamber a and utilized for power purposes at the floating pump, and in the present instance I have represented in Fig.

2 a whistle B as operated by the air in the reservoir when the said air has reached a pressure sufficient to lift a valve 12 against the action of a spring 29 the said valve controlling the outlet-port b 'for the reservoir. The reservoir a in Fig. 2 is also shownas communicating with the air-chamber 0. of the float A through ports or, which serves to increase the size of the air-reservoir.

In Fig. 1 the reservoir a is shown as provided with an outlet-pipe 79 provided with a flexible extension b which may be of any desired or required length and may convey the compressed air to the shore or other place where it is to be used or to a second storagetank. The outlet-pipeb may connect directly with the port a and be provided with the automatic valve a The cylinder A may be provided with a substantially-conical deflector I), having its apex cooperating with the port or opening a to direct the compressed air through said port and into the accumulating-chamber 0. The deflector b may be provided near its lower end with one or more openings 5, through which the air is admitted to the cylinder A.

In operation air is drawn into the cylinder A through the inlet-pipe a on the up movement of the buoy or float effected by the waves and represented by Fig. 1, and on the down movement of the float or buoy (represented by Fig. 3) the air in the cylinder is forced through the port a into the chamber a and is prevented from passing back into the cylinder on the next up movement of the buoy by the valve 0, The air-inlet is closed by the valve of, which is seated by the pressure of air in the cylinder A as the said air is forced into the chamber a The air forced into the chamber a may be accumulated therein until the desired pressure has been attained, and the compressed air in the accumulating-chamber may be used at the accumulator,passing out therefrom through the port 19*, (see Fig. 2,) controlled by the valve b which is seated by the spring b", which latter is adjusted so as to require a predetermined pressure of air to open the valve and permit the escape of the compressed air from the accumulator. The compressed air escaping from the accumulator operates the whistle Z1 which may be of any suitable construction.

In order to prevent the accu mulating-c'hamber becoming filled with water, which may be carried into the said chamber with the air, the said chamber maybe provided with an automatically-operated valve, which controls a port Z1 in the cylinder-head a In the present instance the valve referred to is shown as a ball Z1 on a stem attached to a pivoted lever I), provided with aballor float b, which latter is raised by the accumulated water in the chamber 0& and opens the port I), so as to permit the water to run back into the chamber a The buoy may be anchored in any suitable or usual manner, as by chains b In practice the tube or pipeA is made of a length sufficient to carry its lower open end below the level of water which is affected by wave motion, and consequently the lower end of the tube or pipe is surrounded by quiescent water, and therefore the column of water confined in the said tube or pipe is practically stationary, because it is not influenced by motion of the waves, which is confined to the surface.

I claim 1. In a floating pump, the combination with a substantially-long tube or pipe provided with a water-inlet at or near its lower end and separated by a partition wall or head to form an air-reservoir above and a water-chamber below the same, an air-inlet pipe extended through the air-reservoir and opening into the said water-chamben'a valve controlling the passage of air into the water-chamber, a separate port or opening through said partition-wall from said water-chamber into said air-reservoir, a valve cooperating with said port or opening, and an outlet-pipe for the said reservoir to conduct the compressed air in the reservoir directly out therefrom and provided with a flexible extension, substantially as described.

2. The combination with a floating pump provided with an air-cylinder immersed in water to form a stationary water-piston therein and responsive to wave motion of a deflector in the air-cylinder cooperating with the air-outlet port for said cylinder, substantially as described.

3. The combination with a floating pump having an air-cylinder immersed in water to form a stationary water-piston, and provided with an air-inlet port and with an air-outlet port, valves cooperating with said ports, an ,air-reservoir communicating with the air-cylinder through the outlet-port, a second port connectingsaid air-cylinder and air-reservoir, a valve cooperating with said second port, and a float in the said reservoir to operate said valve, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

WILLIAM S. BRYANT.

Witnesses:

J AS. H. CHURCHILL,

J. MURPHY. 

